7635 replies to this topic

[Tarzaan]

Max Biaggi: Lorenzo favourite, but beware Stoner

Biaggi predicts it will be Lorenzo vs Stoner in 2011...

http://www.crash.net...are_stoner.html

---

Checa sizes up 2011 competition

The Spaniard heads into 2011 looking to build on his superb first year with the Althea Ducati team

http://www.crash.net...ompetition.html


****

Edited by ForeverF1, 29 December 2010 - 08:47.
Title changed. Removed "Ehhh. 2010 --> 2011 I send a PM to Gilles4Ever to correct it."

[Tarzaan]

FIM Superbike grid in 2011 according to the current informations.
--------

Alitalia Aprilia
Biaggi – Camier


Sterilgarda Yamaha
Laverty – Melandri


BMW Motorsport
Corser - Haslam


Kawasaki Racing
Vermuellen - Lascorz – Sykes


Ten Kate Honda
Rea – Xaus


BMW Italia
Badovini - Toseland


Alstare Suzuki
Fabrizio


Althea Racing Ducati
Checa


Liberty Racing Ducati
Smrz – Guintoli


Supersonic Ducati
Berger


DFX-Borciani Racing Aprilia
Haga - TBA?


Pedercini Kawasaki
Rolfo – TBA***



speculation:

Yoshimura Suzuki?
TBA(Kagayama?)


*** According to a hungarian website, there will be a test between 10th & 14th of january in Malaysia(Sepang?) where the team will choose their second rider. The "competitors" are Talmácsi Gábor, Lukas Pesek, Andrew Pitt, but the main contender is Andrew Pitt. Talmacsi also got a little chance to ride a second Aprilia near Nori Haga.

Edited by Tarzaan, 31 December 2010 - 11:27.

[Risil]

Doesn't WSBK limit two riders per 'team'? Read somewhere that Sykes will probably be entered in a separate bracket, like Neukirchner was at Suzuki in 2008...

[And given licence to be pedantic, it should read BMW Motorrad Motorsport ]

Edited by Risil, 30 December 2010 - 18:17.

[Atreiu]

Well, I hope Moto GP lives up to the expectations.
Rossi at Ducati, finally.
Stoner back at HRC.
Lorenzo stepping out of Rossi's shadow and trying to build Yamaha around him.
Spies on a factory bike and no longer a rookie.
etc...

Fingers crossed so crashes don't ruin the season and spoil the fun.

[GSiebert]

I'm thinking about going at the TT next year with a friend. Has someone already been there ? Whats the easiest way to go there (i'm in France) ? Via Dublin I'd say but not sure...

[milestone 11]

I'm thinking about going at the TT next year with a friend. Has someone already been there ? Whats the easiest way to go there (i'm in France) ? Via Dublin I'd say but not sure...

I go and have gone for too many years to remember. Go once and you're hooked. You don't say whether you intend taking a bike, or just yourself. Also, it depends on where in France you are. I often go via France as at some point I'll be at Le Mans for the 24 hours. If you are just flying, Paris/ Manchester return about €80, Manchester/Isle of Man, similar (both these routes are serviced by Flybe and BA, so competitive). This is the best route, Dublin is much more expensive and has far less connections. If you're taking a bike, there are a number of ways that all include a Steam Packet trip, Liverpool best, at a cost of around €140 for bike and passenger.

[Smile17]

Max Biaggi: Lorenzo favourite, but beware Stoner

Interesting statement from Biaggi. I'm not really sure if Stoner will shine at Honda, especially cuz he has to deal with the likes of Pedrosa. Pedrosa is not the one who will let his team mate beat him with the same material. Pedrosa is still favourite to beat Stoner. It will be interesting to see in which way Honda will develop the bike. Stoner and Pedrosa have very different ridingstyles.

Although Lorenzo is still the favourite, he will struggle to defend his title, especially if Yamaha loses it's advantage.

Edited by Smile17, 29 December 2010 - 18:30.

[carbonfibre]

I have little doubt that Stoner is a better rider then Pedrosa.

I think it will come down to whether Stoner can be consistent (that means much less crashes) and if Honda will really be giving everyone the exact same treatment, or that Puig will still do his powerplay behind the scenes to convince Honda (with some help from Repsol) otherwise. If Honda is smart they will give Stoner and his team a good try, afterall Pedrosa and Puig still havent managed to give Honda a championship all those years.

[GSiebert]

I go and have gone for too many years to remember. Go once and you're hooked. You don't say whether you intend taking a bike, or just yourself. Also, it depends on where in France you are. I often go via France as at some point I'll be at Le Mans for the 24 hours. If you are just flying, Paris/ Manchester return about €80, Manchester/Isle of Man, similar (both these routes are serviced by Flybe and BA, so competitive). This is the best route, Dublin is much more expensive and has far less connections. If you're taking a bike, there are a number of ways that all include a Steam Packet trip, Liverpool best, at a cost of around €140 for bike and passenger.

Thanks for the advice !
Indeed, its cheaper via Manchester, we're not taking any bike with us
Once you're there I guess you sleep at the hotel, do you have any advice ? Which town would be the most convinient ?
And how is it at the track ? How do you follow the race ? Do you have to pay to access to certain areas of the track ? Do you attend to all 12 days of racing ?
Sorry that's a lot of questions lol.

[GSiebert]

Otherwise, with Rossi and FIAT now gone, Yamaha still has no title sponsor for next year. They are thinking about racing with their factory colors (blue ?).

[Risil]

Otherwise, with Rossi and FIAT now gone, Yamaha still has no title sponsor for next year. They are thinking about racing with their factory colors (blue ?).

It was red and black and white last time they did that in GP (1998?). But dark blue in WSBK, and in America.

[Chubby_Deuce]

I think Yamaha has realigned their corporate colors to be blue everywhere now. Previously Europe (Japan too?) flew the red and white, particularly in motorsports.

[milestone 11]

Thanks for the advice !Indeed, its cheaper via Manchester, we're not taking any bike with us

If you fly from Paris, Flybe is the cheapest. Last year, I paid €85 return to Manchester, Manchester to Isle of Man was FREE just landing charges to pay, around €45. I booked my flights during January.

Once you're there I guess you sleep at the hotel, do you have any advice ? Which town would be the most convinient ?

I'm lucky, I have a friend who lives there so I always stay with him. There are a lot of hotels, very expensive though for TT, also, a lot of them will already be fully booked. If a hotel is what you want, you are best trying to book as soon as possible. The Empress on Douglas Promenade is a good place to start. Almost any town in the North of the Isle of Man is convenient, the track, is 60km so covers a vast area. From a personal view, Douglas would always be my preferred place to stay. Many people camp, I've never tried it, but I have heard good and bad reports about facilities. There is also homestay, which is staying in someones home. Hundreds of house owners take in TT visitors, if you fancy this, your best bet is to post on the TT site and ask for homestay, sooner rather than later as it gets booked up very quickly. If you post on the site that I have hotlinked, you will get replies sometimes within hours. My understanding is that homestay is generally very good.

And how is it at the track ? How do you follow the race ?

The track is fantastic, for me, the greatest show on earth. The best spot? Undoubtedly Milestone 11. Radio TT runs throughout the fortnight so it essential to have a portable radio with you, there are not many speakers around the course. Your radio must be able to get medium wave as this is what radio TT transmits on. There is English commentary with constant updates in German and French, with the dulcet tones of Mavis.

Do you have to pay to access to certain areas of the track ? Do you attend to all 12 days of racing ?

There is no access charge whatsoever, there are a number of grandstands including that at the pits, which you have to pay for, none of these are particularly expensive. I use my friends car, when he is not with me, I think that is almost essential if you want to get around and see some great viewing points, hire cars are quite cheap as well. This year, practice week starts on May 30, the first race, and often the best, is the superbike race, which is Saturday June 4, with racing the following Monday, Wednesday And Friday. I once again will miss the Friday race, (Senior), because I'll be off to Le Mans on the Friday morning. If you go, I guarantee that you will have a brilliant time, if you do, I'll tell you about some special places to watch.

Sorry that's a lot of questions lol.

No problems, just happy to be able to share information on what is the greatest show on earth.

Edited by milestone 11, 30 December 2010 - 15:12.

[GSiebert]

Many thanks mate, that's very helpful
I hope you don't mind if I send you more questions via private messages later, I dont want to hijack the thread.

Edited by GSiebert, 30 December 2010 - 18:00.

[milestone 11]

Many thanks mate, that's very helpful
I hope you don't mind if I send you more questions via private messages later, I dont want to hijack the thread.

No probs!

[ehagar]

Ok... I am bored. Damn off season!

What are your plans for races to attend in 2011?

Here is what I was thinking of... It's total speculation dependent on circumstances next year.

Macau GP... There is a possibility I might be moving and would be a short/cheap flight away. I would really like to see this race live... Even better if I could do barrier side photography

Suzuka 8 hours or season finale for the All Japan Championship... there is very little English based media on this championship... I would love to see it live.

[carbonfibre]

Yep a couple of years back the off season was almost as exciting as the season itself, that also goes for Formula one. Those damn "cost cutting" rules and environmental BS stuff really makes the winter boring.

[Tarzaan]

Talmácsi Gábor said in a todays report in Hungary, that he spoke with Gigi Dall'Igna, and he has a little hope to be Haga's team mate next year. He doesn't tell more about this, so I think they need some sponsporship/money to that ride. Here is the original article:

http://www.origo.hu/...ikesorozat.html


For the Pedercini ride the main contender is Andrew Pitt, but he ask to high salary (according to an other hungarian article).

I edit a little bit the second reply of this tread.

[wiligates]

For the Pedercini ride the main contender is Andrew Pitt, but he ask to high salary (according to an other hungarian article).

Less to do with being too high and more to do with the fact that Pitt is asking for a salary rather than bringing money in.A month or so ago i read an article written by Andrew Pitt about how hard it is to score a ride these days on results alone.You need to bring Sponsors and cash.

[Tarzaan]

I just finished to wach an interesting interview with Talmácsi Gábor. Ha said, his he hears some rumors about a legal affair between the team boss Luca Boscoscuro & the Aprilia (originally the team will ride with Aprilia bikes and factory support), and because of that the Aprilia help the developement of Iannonne's bike. Talma said it's not 100%, it's just a rumor.

[Kaiser]

What's WSP? I diod a google and it returned Widespread panic. I think that's a hippie band.

[wiligates]

What's WSP? I diod a google and it returned Widespread panic. I think that's a hippie band.

World Supersport.The widespread panic may have been from how easy Sofuoglu made it look jumping straight from Supersport to Moto2

[beanoid]

Should be WSS. But perhaps I'm just being pedantic.

[primer]

Ha said, his he hears some rumors about a legal affair between the team boss Luca Boscoscuro & the Aprilia (originally the team will ride with Aprilia bikes and factory support), and because of that the Aprilia help the developement of Iannonne's bike.

Iannone will have to prove himself further in moto2 before any team in motoGP will have a look at him. So it will all even out. I do not think it was all down to bike being better. Do you recall his riding at Catalunya? He was so much quicker coming into the final corner than other riders it wasn't funny. It looked he had special tires more than a special bike! No matter the state of equipment, the confidence to ride a bike at that limit was all his own.

GT might be a little bitter since his own career never progressed onwards and upwards like he would have dreamt, and he can see new riders progressing to motoGP while he himself will retire from racing after some fruitless seasons in moto2.

[Tarzaan]

Should be WSS. But perhaps I'm just being pedantic.

WSP=WSS=SSP=WSSP like WSB=SBK=WSBK

Iannone will have to prove himself further in moto2 before any team in motoGP will have a look at him. So it will all even out. I do not think it was all down to bike being better. Do you recall his riding at Catalunya? He was so much quicker coming into the final corner than other riders it wasn't funny. It looked he had special tires more than a special bike! No matter the state of equipment, the confidence to ride a bike at that limit was all his own.

GT might be a little bitter since his own career never progressed onwards and upwards like he would have dreamt, and he can see new riders progressing to motoGP while he himself will retire from racing after some fruitless seasons in moto2.

Broadly I agree with this.

[Option1]

Should be WSS. But perhaps I'm just being pedantic.

Nope, you're not, it should be WSS. Same as I've never heard of WSB, which I gather should be SBK. Oh well.

Neil

[kosmic33]

Nope, you're not, it should be WSS. Same as I've never heard of WSB, which I gather should be SBK. Oh well.

Neil

I wonder what does the station that broadcasts superbikes call it?

http://www.motorcycl...2010-wsb-plans/

Oh its wsb!

Who'd have thought it?

Guess it is known by more than one name.....

[Risil]

Never heard anyone say WSP though...

Anyway, this thread is getting off to a bad start. What do we think of this?

Australian GP boss assures fans that Phillip Island will stay on the calendar

[A minor factual concern about the article -- no matter what the general weather patterns are, AFAIK there's never been a Grand Prix race cancelled over bad weather on Phillip Island's October date, as happened during the World Superbike meeting in 2001...]

Apparently Senor Ezpaleta is threatening to rescind the circuit's FIM homologation (can the CRH do that? As the circuit points out, the contract itself is good till 2016) unless it finds a March date for the 2012 race. Which of course has a Melbourne-sized, and indeed Ecclestone-sized obstacle in its path. The Australian GP date (then at Eastern Creek) first moved to the end of the year in 1996, when the Melbourne car race took over from the end-of-year Adelaide slot. Presumably scheduling MotoGP directly against F1 for Australian fans' weekend plans will seriously jeopardise the Phillip Island event's profitability: it hardly seems worth driving the best track in the world out of GP racing simply over a dispute about the weather.

Or do Dorna fancy taking their series toe-to-toe with F1? Sounds like suicide, especially with V. Rossi's imminent retirement. Will the Australian car GP still be around in 2012? Will Australia just stop having their major international races scheduled at the end of the year, and instead have them a month or so apart like most European countries do?

Edited by Risil, 05 January 2011 - 01:52.

[Lazy Prodigy]

So who wants to take a guess at who Yamaha's new title sponsor will be? Telefonica? Something Spanish I would suspect

[wiligates]

Will Australia just stop having their major international races scheduled at the end of the year, and instead have them a month or so apart like most European countries do?

Difference being that it seems to be a lot easier to travel around Europe and get yourself to those events where as here its major travelling time for Australians and everyone O/S.So to put them too close together makes those fans who go to both, which neither F1 or Moto want to lose ,will have to choose one or the other.Would hurt Moto more as their numbers aren't huge as it is.

[Gilles4Ever]

So who wants to take a guess at who Yamaha's new title sponsor will be? Telefonica? Something Spanish I would suspect

As it stands at the moment Yamaha will be running without a title sponsor although there is talk Air Asia are in talks. Expect Blue and white corporate livery.

It is hard to believe the world champion team and rider are unable to secure a title sponsor - wonder what the situation would be if Vale was still there as WC.

[Gilles4Ever]

I have little doubt that Stoner is a better rider then Pedrosa.

IIRC Stoner and Pedrosa were team mates under Puig (with the likes of Gadea and Melandri) and were brought up through the 125 Spanish academy and Puig chose to back Pedrosa leaving Stoner to find his own way. The 125 and 250 results clearly show he backed the right horse.

[Ross Stonefeld]

You don't think a Spaniard may have twigged of two riders of equal potential a Spanish rider in a Spanish run series might have a better chance/be more valuable?

[Gilles4Ever]

They were team mates in the Spanish series when they moved to the international series they split.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Yeah, and that they were split in 125s/250s I think makes absolute comparisons a bit tricky.

[Gilles4Ever]

Yeah, it's great that their careers paths have merged again to be on the same equipment, we get to see who is the better MotoGP rider.

[carbonfibre]

Well so far Stoner has a championship in the MotoGP under his belt and a far better record. So we shall see what will happen this year can't wait for it.

[Gilles4Ever]

Yoshimura Suzuki are on the provisional entry list for the opening round of the season at Phillip Island in Australia on February 27, with a wild-card slot for Australian rider Josh Waters.

[Andy35]

The MotoGP calendar still looks like it starts off way too slow and then is too packed, they ought to spread it out more with first race in March and then a couple more than they have in April and May. At least it stretches the year out in conjunction with superbikes.

Andy

[Lazy Prodigy]

You know Im surprised nobody like a telephone team like T-Mobile or Vodafone has come in and sponsored a team.

[Tarzaan]

WSS 2011 Ten Kate:

Fabian Foret & Florian Marino

Hannspree still the title sponsor.

[GSiebert]

Its "Fabien", not "Fabian" (that's German )

2 frenchmen at Ten Kate, that's a suprising choice.

Edited by GSiebert, 06 January 2011 - 18:28.

[Risil]

One might argue that two Frenchmen is less surprising than the identity of the two Frenchmen.

I hope Foret brings out his old form, Supersport field's looking somewhat thin this year with Sofuoglu, Laverty and Lascorz gone, and Triumph apparently still not capable of race victories. James Ellison on the Parkalgar CBR600 ought to be intriguing, though, he was very impressive in BSB last year. Hopefully his WSS career will be more Cal Crutchlow than Tommy Hill.

[Youichi]

Tweet from Julian Ryder :-

Does anyone have recordings of the technical features i used to do at the GPs years ago? Need copies! contact me through julianryder.com

I suspect someone on here might have video of these.

[Option1]

Hopper to BSB

Neil

[Rob]

Hopper to BSB

Looking forward to it

Hopper should do well.

[carbonfibre]

Nice let's hope Hopper won't get injured this year im sure he will do a good job, always thought it was a shame that he had to leave the MotoGP scene the way he did.

[Nottub]

...I have little doubt that Stoner is a better rider then Pedrosa....


...Well so far Stoner has a championship in the MotoGP under his belt and a far better record. So we shall see what will happen this year can't wait for it.

Does the fact that you brake a few bones everytime you fall (and consequently miss a few races and takes you months to get back to full fitness) makes you a worse rider? Because this, more than anything, is hurting Pedrosa's campaigns in MotoGP. This can't help his record. Who knows, he could also be champion by now if he didn't suffer all those nasty injuries...

I wouldn't say Stoner is a better rider than Pedrosa just because he has a better record in the big class so far. Numbers usualy don't show the full picture. One can say Stoner also had better equipment during all their time together in GP.

Indeed this year should be interesting watching these two on equal equipment. It will answer alot of questions, hopefully. I think Pedrosa will finally silence his critics after all these years because he will have a teammate that is highly rated. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying he will leave Stoner in the dust, I'm just saying that those who say he is inferior rider to Stoner or Rossi will finally admit this year that he is as good.

Likewise, Stoner will silence a lot of critics who said he can only win on a Ducati. Let's hope for a injury free 2011 between the title contenders. Last thing I want is a repeat of 2010.

[Requiem84]

Does the fact that you brake a few bones everytime you fall (and consequently miss a few races and takes you months to get back to full fitness) makes you a worse rider? Because this, more than anything, is hurting Pedrosa's campaigns in MotoGP. This can't help his record. Who knows, he could also be champion by now if he didn't suffer all those nasty injuries...

I wouldn't say Stoner is a better rider than Pedrosa just because he has a better record in the big class so far. Numbers usualy don't show the full picture. One can say Stoner also had better equipment during all their time together in GP.

Indeed this year should be interesting watching these two on equal equipment. It will answer alot of questions, hopefully. I think Pedrosa will finally silence his critics after all these years because he will have a teammate that is highly rated. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying he will leave Stoner in the dust, I'm just saying that those who say he is inferior rider to Stoner or Rossi will finally admit this year that he is as good.

Likewise, Stoner will silence a lot of critics who said he can only win on a Ducati. Let's hope for a injury free 2011 between the title contenders. Last thing I want is a repeat of 2010.

Pedrosa is Lorenzo-like fast when the bike setup is around the optimal for him. He struggles a bit when it's not to his liking. Also, out of the 4 'aliens', he's clearly the worst at battling on track. I can't remember a race he won by some fantastic overtaking. Usually he runs of with his blistering start and is never to be seen again.

Stoner seems to be the guy who is fastest on basically anything, and he can be pretty impressive when he has some one on one duelling going on. I can only see him lose to Pedrosa if he contracts his usual tumbleritis again.

[LucaP]

(Pedrosa)... Also, out of the 4 'aliens', he's clearly the worst at battling on track. I can't remember a race he won by some fantastic overtaking. Usually he runs of with his blistering start and is never to be seen again.

Yes, generally speaking, though you'll have to admit that last year Dani improved in that situation... at least he won his first GP in the top class after actually overtaking someone (Sachsenring)

Though yes, he's a bit lacking in that aspect generally.

Edited by Luca Pacchiarini, 07 January 2011 - 22:56.